by Gail Koger
“The hell it ain’t. She belongs to me,” Dixon countered.
“Belongs?”
I clamped a hand to my forehead. Oh hell!
“I think the birthday party is about to come to an abrupt end,” Xenia whispered in my mind.
Dixon smiled. “Kizzy wears my mark on her ass.”
“Mark?” Ethan tone was deadly.
I jumped between them. “It’s a friggin’ tattoo, that I didn’t ask for. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Aw, darlin’, don’t be that way,” Dixon drawled.
“Stop it! Right now,” I hollered in my best mean mother voice. “This is Ella’s birthday and you’re not ruining it.”
Both men stared at me in astonishment.
“If you want to prove who has the biggest balls, we’ll have an Irish dance off.”
“A dance off?” To say Dixon was surprised would be an understatement.
Ethan smiled. “I accept.”
“Great.” I tapped my bracelet, found some Celtic music and hit play. “Who wants to go first?”
Ethan broke into an energetic Irish jig with a touch of hip-hop added in. Smack. Clap. Stomp. Stomp. Clap.
“He’s really good,” Xenia said.
“You should see his Tango.”
Ethan spun to a stop and challenged, “Top that.”
I watched in astonishment as Dixon stomped his feet in an intricate dance move. Holy hell, he was doing the Irish River Dance.
Xenia laughed and clapped her hands.
Several bikers joined in. Hop. Skip. Kick. Stomp. Hop. Skip. Kick. Stomp.
Ethan wrapped an arm around me. “You’re full of surprises.”
“This is a lot better than the two of you beating each other senseless.”
“Maybe.” Ethan pressed a kiss to my head.
Quinn popped in next to Xenia, watched the dancing for a moment then shook his head in disbelief. “Uncle Saul wants you back at the base. Now.”
“We need to say goodbye to Ella,” Xenia said.
Ethan sighed. “Make it quick.”
I spotted Ella on the carousel and climbed onboard. “Hey sweetie, we have to leave.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Now?”
“Sorry kiddo, but Xenia and I have to go catch a bad guy.”
“You gonna stomp on his pee-pee too?”
Xenia snickered.
I nodded solemnly. “You betcha I am.”
“Good.” Ella gave me and Xenia sticky kisses.
Ethan held out his hand. “Let’s go.”
I took his hand.
Chapter Twenty-Four
There was a fleeting flash of black and we were standing in the war room. I exchanged a shocked look with Xenia.
She shrugged and eagerly studied the satellite scans of the Superstition Mountains on the display scanners.
Most of the other monitors held different views of the mountains and extensive maps of the hidden caverns. A big, black safe sat at the back of the room. My attention was drawn to a photo of a white worm with squirmy growths around its neck. Its funky eyestalks reminded me of a snail’s. I pointed at it. “What in the hell is that?”
“A Gorum,” Ethan stated.
Xenia spun around and the color drained from her face. “We’re facing a Gorum?”
“We are. Asmoday’s partner in crime is a Gorum outlaw by the name of Ceti,” Quinn replied.
I eyed the photo in horror. “You’re saying that creepy worm is the mastermind behind the attacks on us?”
“Yes. Ceti and Asmoday teamed up eight hundred years ago. They were searching for a lost Shebu sphere. They wanted to use its power to rule the galaxy. Asmoday managed to track it down, but before he could seize it, the Thunder God trapped him in the artifact,” Ethan informed us.
“And you know this how?”
Quinn interjected, “Qa’a.”
“Right. Cause when he ate Asmoday, he got all his knowledge,” I said in a slightly weary voice. Not only did I have to deal with ghosts and God knows what else, I now had another alien boogeyman to figure out how to kill.
“Ceti also hired the Bjarke mercenaries.” Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. “According to them, Ceti believes the Shebu sphere is hidden with Montezuma’s treasure.”
“He’s not going to be happy when he finds out it’s been destroyed.” I frowned. “Unless there’s another sphere.”
Quinn shook his head. “According to the Nabatean guardians only two spheres were brought to this world. The one at the Magic Kingdom and the one given to Montezuma.”
“We’ve also been tasked with capturing Ceti,” Ethan added.
Xenia threw up her hands in disbelief. “How do you plan on doing that? They can teleport like the Katanic and they are almost impossible to contain or kill.”
“Which is why, Raj, a Gorum prince, has been assigned to our treasure hunt.”
“Oh yay, more alien boogeymen.” I patted Ethan’s fine butt. “You sure know how to show a girl a good time.”
“We’ve got it under control,” Ethan assured me.
“That’s what the Captain of the Titanic thought too, and you know how that ended.”
Looking like she had a bad case of indigestion, Xenia asked, “Is Qa’a coming too?”
Quinn stroked her back. “Adan’s his agent.”
“Adan is a menace,” I exploded. “I’m not working with him.”
“It’s not up for debate,” the General snapped.
Where the hell had he come from? I matched his cold-eyed glare. “I’m not one of your warriors, so buzz off.”
The General went toe-to-toe with me. “Buzz off?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Going mano a mano with Uncle Saul is not a good idea, Kizzy,” Ethan said in my head.
“I’m not a soldier. Nor am I a second-class citizen and I refused to be treated like one. I’m a ghost whisperer. I deserve to be given the respect I am due.”
“I agree.”
I blinked at the General. “You do?”
“But you still have to work with Adan.” The General pulled me in for a big hug. “Welcome to the family and call me Uncle Saul.”
“Uh, sure.” What just happened?
Uncle Saul stepped back and assumed a stern expression. “And as long as you’re on duty, you do as you’re told.”
“Wait a minute! Weren’t you listening? I’m not one of your soldiers.”
“You are now.” Slipping an anti-gravity sled under the safe, Uncle Saul wheeled it out. Quinn saluted me and followed him.
“How can I be a soldier? I never enlisted.”
Ethan grinned. “You’re a Jones now. We all serve the Overlord.”
“That’s so wrong,” I exclaimed.
Xenia nodded. “Tell me about it.”
“Xenia and I are going to need chocolate. Lots of chocolate.”
Ethan tossed me a small backpack. “There you go.”
“It better be the good stuff.”
“Only the best for our girls. Now on to the important stuff. Our assignments are as follows: Quinn, Xenia and I are the team’s archeologists and will deal with the artifacts. Granny and you will handle the ghosts. Adan and Raj are the muscle.”
“Yippee. I can’t wait to go into the bowels of Hell with two aliens who consider me a tasty snack.”
“They won’t eat you.” Ethan wrapped a big hand around my neck. “You’ll like Raj.”
I gave Ethan a thumbs up. “I’ve always wanted to meet a talking worm.”
“The Gorum are powerful telepaths. Don’t call them worms.”
“Yes, sir. You’re sure Adan and Raj are on our side?”
“I’m positive.”
“What’s in the safe Uncle Saul carted out of here?”
“The blessed safe contains an ancient map of the caverns, a vial of Lucifer’s blood and a copy of the original papyrus with the step-by-step instructions on how to close a gateway to the underworld. Luckily for you, it’s i
n Latin,” Ethan answered.
My jaw dropped. “The Apaches do call the Superstition Mountains the Devil’s playground. But, damn, an entrance to hell?”
“In exchange for giving us access to the holy weapons, Zarek had to promise the Pope we would close the portal, “Ethan advised.
“We live to serve the Vatican,” I grumbled. “What I want to know is how in the hell did they get a vial of Lucifer’s blood?”
“Zarek didn’t say. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and you two need to get some sleep.”
I gave Ethan a seductive smile. “Sleep?”
“Sleep. We’ve put you and Xenia in the guest quarters.”
Xenia narrowed her eyes. “You’re going after the Bjarke mercenaries, aren’t you?”
“We are.”
“And the little women get to stay behind and tend the campfires,” I said not so sweetly.
Ethan adopted his big, scary warlord demeanor. “The two of you are vital to our mission. Uncle Saul won’t risk either of you being injured in a combat situation.”
“I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a warrior, but Xenia is. She should have the option of participating in the hunt. They did kidnap her and once we enter the caverns, there will be all sorts of things trying to kill us.”
“I am aware of that and Xenia is staying behind to guard you.”
“Oh.”
Ethan teleported away.
“If I don’t get some chocolate soon, I’m going to have a meltdown of biblical proportions,” I grumbled.
“I also need great quantities of chocolate.”
“Men, who needs them.” I hugged Xenia. “You know, you’re my best friend, dontcha?”
“I’ve never had a best friend before,” Xenia admitted. “Our dig sites were always in remote locations and taking care of my mother was a full-time job.”
How sad was that? I hooked my little finger around Xenia’s. “Pinky swears. No matter what comes, we will be best friends forever.”
“Pinky swears.”
“And when the guys aren’t around it’s orgasm by chocolate.” I dug out a handful of individually wrapped chocolate and handed them to Xenia.
She ate one and her eyes rolled back in her head. “Multiple orgasms.”
“If you want a rock your world orgasm, we need to hit Cerreta’s Candy Company.”
Xenia grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”
“What are you waiting for? Let’s go.” Four hours later and two trips to Cerreta’s we had obtained our maximum sugar high. Which of course, crashed two hours later.
My beast of a mate rousted us out of bed at four friggin’ o’clock. “You have twenty minutes to hit the showers and get something to eat.”
Xenia just groaned.
“Uh huh, ok.” I collapsed back on the bed.
“No, you don’t.” Scooping us both up, Ethan carried us into the shower and turned it on.
I scowled at him. “Not funny.”
“I know a thousand ways to kill you,” Xenia snarled.
“I’m sure you do. Now move your butts.”
“Wait!”
Ethan paused.
“Did you take care of our Bjarke problem?”
“We did.” He teleported away.
“That’s good. Now we just have ghosts, ghoulies and hungry aliens to deal with.”
Xenia just grunted.
Obviously, she wasn’t a morning person.
After a five-minute shower, we engaged our battle suits and hit the mess hall for a poor excuse of a breakfast burrito. “Thank God, we made those chocolate runs last night.”
An evil smile lit up Xenia’s face. “Isn’t it.” She held out her hand. “Ready?”
“To close a portal to hell. Not a chance, but Granny and I do what we must.” I took her hand and poof! We were at the airfield.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ethan set the shuttle down in the parking lot of the Lost Dutchman’s Park. The rising sun spilled over the jagged edge of the Superstition Mountains revealing majestic saguaro cactus.
One look at the sensors and I knew it was going to be another scorcher today. “Are we hiking in?”
“No, we’re teleporting.” Ethan released his harness and lowered the access ramp. “Quinn’s shuttle is bringing the backpacks with the holy water grenades, blessed weapons, silver and salt bullets.”
Xenia cocked an inquiring eyebrow. “When can we expect Adan and Raj?”
“Any time now.” Ethan opened the safe and removed an armored bag.
“Is that the map and stuff I’ll need to close the portal?”
Ethan handed it to me. “It is. Guard it with your life.”
“Yes, sir.” I opened it and took out the vial of Lucifer’s blood. The fine hairs on my neck stood up. The sensation of evil was overpowering. I carefully put the vial and map in my armored lined pocket.
Another shuttle landed next to us.
“That’s Quinn and Uncle Saul. I’m going to help them unload our supplies.” Poof! Ethan vanished.
“Is Uncle Saul coming with us?”
“With the Gorum and Katanic involved he probably had no choice. I’m surprised Zarek and Voss haven’t decided to tag along too,” Xenia responded.
“Gotcha. Uncle Saul’s here to keep it from becoming a clusterfuck.”
“Exactly.” Xenia glanced around. “Where’s your grandmother?”
“There are too many aliens for Granny’s peace of mind. She’s hanging out on the esoteric plane.”
“Too bad we can’t join her.”
The guys made short work of unloading the supplies and three large weapons crates.
“Guess we better join them.” Picking up the armored bag, I walked down the ramp. “You know what I like the best about my battle suit?”
“It can be 110 degrees outside, and it keeps you cool,” Xenia replied as she followed me out.
“Nope. It’s all these nifty pockets. Do you know how much chocolate I can carry in them?”
Xenia patted her legs. “A lot.”
“Yep, and the best thing is, the suit keeps them from melting.” I noticed the stink eye Ethan was giving me and smiled brightly.
He strode over to us. “How much chocolate are you packing?”
“Enough,” I said.
“Were all those trips to the candy store necessary?” Quinn demanded.
Xenia and I said in unison, “They were.”
A brilliant golden light popped into existence. We all took two steps back and shielded our eyes.
Out of a spinning vortex slithered a living nightmare also known as a Gorum. Raj had a long, white tubular body and two eyestalks with bright yellow orbs. Around his head were wormy growths that never ceased twisting with a peculiar life of their own.
Yikes! I had been expecting a small snail-like creature, but Raj was as big as a horse.
Her hand on the butt of her laser pistol, Xenia kept a wary eye on the Gorum.
Uncle Saul stepped forward. “Raj, it’s been too long.”
A deep voice sounded in my head. “Far too long. We appreciate your assistance in capturing Ceti.”
Oh ick. The way his orbs rolled about was downright creepy.
Raj’s eyestalks rotated towards me. “And you are?”
I looked behind me. Was he talking to me?
“This is Kizzy, my mate,” Ethan said, his hand clamped painfully on my shoulder.
Wincing, I gave a slight curtsy. “It’s an honor to meet you, your highness.”
“Just Raj. You’re not a Jones, are you?”
“No, before I was adopted into the Jones clan, I was a Dragos.”
“Ah, the band of thieves. You should make an interesting addition to the Jones clan,” Raj stated.
He had no idea.
Bolts of green lightning crackled wildly around the parking lot. An instant later, a swirling orange glow transformed into a roiling funnel cloud. It spat Adan out. His tentacles acting like feet, he ambled over to R
aj.
The growths around Raj’s neck lengthened and stretched toward Adan.
I edged closer to Ethan. “Please tell me they aren’t getting ready to fight.”
“No, this is their version of a handshake,” Ethan replied as their tentacles met.
Adan’s tentacle twisted around Raj’s. “Qa’a will honor the Proxima treaty.”
“Bebo acknowledges your claim on Gliese 710 and will honor the Proxima treaty,” Raj stated.
Adan bobbed his body. “Ceti has been tracked to these mountains.”
“Excellent.” Raj released his tentacles and turned to Uncle Saul. “Let the hunt begin.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
The hunt for the gold started way back in 1539 when Conquistador Francisco Coronado tramped across the southwest for four years searching for Cibola, the fabled seven cities of gold. What he and the other treasure hunters didn’t realize was there were no seven cities of gold. There were seven caverns of gold.
Aztlan, the Aztec’s legendry homeland, was located beneath the Superstition Mountains. All I had to do was find the way in.
Uncle Saul turned to me. “Ready to start your search for Aztlan?”
“You betcha.” Parking myself on a crate, I spread the Pope’s map across my lap and opened my psychic eye. A devouring cold touched me, and nightmare images of people being slaughtered whirled through my brain. “You feel that too Granny?”
“I do. So many lost souls.”
A shiver shook me. All their pain and anguish tore at my heart. “Soon. You’ll be free,” I promised the spirits. “Soon.”
Something stroked my leg. I opened my eyes and instead of Ethan, Raj was hovering over me. His two yellow orbs studied me. “We will free the lost ones.”
As his mind touched mine, I knew Raj was an honorable warrior and would never harm me. I smiled at him. “You betcha we will.”
Adan, in his teenage wizard form, demanded, “Did you find it?”
“Back off,” Quinn growled. “It’s not easy doing what she does. Is the entrance close?”
Staring at him in surprise, I pointed to the east. “The Bjarke were looking in the wrong place. The entrance is about three miles thataway. It’s next to a sacrificial altar called Painted Rock.”
Ethan rubbed my back. “Can you give us a latitude or longitude?”